Way back in the ancient year of 2010, Godflesh reunited for what looked to be a one-off performance at Hellfest. I remember being quite excited about this and planned to save money so I could travel and see them. However, this did not come to fruition and I became a bit upset that I was going to miss this opportunity. From there, they decided to perform more shows, gradually picking up momentum and reminding many as to why they were a band worth giving attention.
A short time after the first few reunion shows, it was announced that Broadrick and Green had been discussing a possible new album. Then in 2012, Broadrick confirmed that a new album was being worked on and that there probably would be an EP beforehand.
From there, if I remember correctly, the EP wasn’t mentioned again until about two months ago, when it was quite suddenly announced, accompanied by a stream of the first track.
I imagine that a lot of people, including myself, were quite apprehensive about the possibility of anything new would being good, mostly due to how Godflesh ended, the work that Broadrick had done since that point and Green’s disappearance from music.
Further adding to the issue (for me) was their last album, Hymns. Whilst I enjoyed it a lot, it wasn’t strong material and required more work. However, I felt it had one of the greatest tracks ever written that pervaded a sense of finality. It was the hidden track at the end of “Jesu”. For me, it was the ultimate closer to a strong career, so when it was announced that there would be new material down the track, I had mixed feelings. I wanted to hear something new but at the same time, I didn’t think that what they did could live up to the expectations I had, considering how I felt about the hidden track.
Last year they put out their first piece of new material, a cover of “F.O.D” by Slaughter. Hearing it made me feel a fair bit more optimistic about the duos ability to put out something that would be a good addition to their catalogue, so when I found out that the new EP was being released, I found myself looking forward to it more than I’d like to admit.
Decline & Fall starts softly for a few seconds before hitting hard in the opening track, “Ringer”, announcing the duos return. From there, the songs do not let up. They are mostly relentless in their assault, pummelling away with a force not expected from people of their age.
All the familiar elements are there; the pounding drums, dissonant guitar, thick bass and the clean/harsh vocals all sit together quite well, never being out of step with each other, continually working to benefit the song instead of stepping out of place to take the spotlight and sounding like a cohesive mix of their previous releases.
However, whilst sounds from all previous eras of Godflesh can be heard, the songs (aside from “Ringer, the most straightforward track) seem to take more influence from hip hop than anything else. It’s mostly audible in the drum patterns as they have a certain bounce in them that is more common to hip hop than heavier genres. This is most obvious in “Dogbite” which could have easily fit on Songs of Love and Hate.
Also, the guitar is, whilst just as bleak sounding as it usually was during Godflesh’s first run, feels much more dense and thick. This can be attributed both to the use of an 8-string guitar as well as Broadricks playing style gradually evolving over time. He is much more riff-oriented here than he has been in the past.
To hear Green’s bass again after such a long time is incredibly relieving. Godflesh would not be what they are if it wasn’t for his style. His crunching, driving sound is just as present as Broadrick’s guitar and he keeps a strong groove throughout the songs to such a great extent that I can’t help but wonder if everything was written for Green to play and then everything was built around him.
Vocally and lyrically it is Godflesh of old. Broadrick uses clean and harsh only when it is appropriate, never over-indulging. His vocals are still quite strong, sounding quite similar to how he was during Hymns. The lyrics are still cryptic. However, they seem to be a bit more direct than they used to be.
I don’t know what else I can say about how it sounds. This is really just a massive, roundabout way of saying that it sounds good. It’s brutal, crushing and heavy due to the sum of its parts as opposed to being for the sake of being able to. It’s quite clear that they have put work into this.
Whilst it might not win over any new fans, it does sound like a step in the right direction and is most certainly a good Godglesh release.
Stupidity Hole 